Pharmaceutical Sales Strategies for Endocrinology Care

While the diabetes epidemic causes an increased demand for endocrinologist services, the number of board-certified endocrinologists is declining due to economic pressures.

Rising practice costs and declining reimbursements, as well as increased administrative burdens imposed by new reimbursement models, mean that many endocrinology practices struggle to remain economically viable. This economic problem for endocrinologists gives rise to a widening gap between the need for endocrinologists and the number of board certified endocrinologists which is particularly concerning in view of the skyrocketing prevalence of type II diabetes.

Outside of diabetes and metabolic diseases, endocrinologists treat a wide range of conditions including menopause, lack of growth, osteoporosis, thyroid diseases, cancers of the endocrine glands, over- or under-production of hormones, cholesterol disorders, hypertension, and infertility. In treating these conditions, cooperation with other medical specialties can present a challenge to endocrinologists. For instance, hormonal treatments for menopausal women are frequently seen as potentially dangerous by non-endocrinologists, who subsequently try to stop such hormone treatments. Endocrinology practices face further concern in underserved populations where they must deal with patients who have, in many cases, not had reliable healthcare in decades, suffer from multiple comorbidities, and are in urgent need of lifestyle interventions.

PDI supports pharmaceutical sales strategies that can help endocrinologists thrive.